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A gathering in the woods for those who love gourmet mushrooms and agroforestry…

Tuesdays: July 11 and 18th, & August 8 and 15th

6 to 11 p.m.

Enjoy a summer tradition at our forest farm: we inoculate logs with shiitake spawn while barbecuing victuals, swaying to beats, and enjoying good company. Bring your own brew, snacks and friends to share.

Forest Farming & Permaculture Design Practicum

Cayuta Sun Farm is seeking individuals for a part-time program (20 hours per week) of farm projects, design, and study from May through September. Apprentices receive weekly instruction through a permaculture design practicum based on continuing assessment and analysis of the farm’s systems. Apprentices are provided with all their food and live at the farm.

Each apprentice will be chosen to fit any one of the following roles: 1) shiitake mushroom production 2) farm marketing or 3) livestock management. Additional activities include daily farm chores and the ongoing permaculture assessment of Cayuta Sun Farm .

Shiitake:Our shiitake mushroom apprentice will learn the entire process of producing high quality, log-grown mushrooms. You will learn how to inoculate logs, manage forced fruiting, grade mushroom quality, harvest and package for market, and to schedule the production of over 1000 logs across a growing season. POSITION FILLED

Marketing: If you can write well, take great photographs, and communicate effectively in public you may be selected to learn about developing and delivering content for small farm promotions and to represent our farm and its brand at farmers markets.

Livestock:If you are comfortable, observant and sensitive around animals, you may want to learn about the management patterns and process of raising animals on pasture and under the canopy of trees to produce superior poultry and pork. POSITION FILLED

No experience is required for any of these positions, just a willingness to learn and work collaboratively with the farmers and your fellow apprentices.

Design and Assessment Practicum

Apprentices will also study outside their specialty in practicum sessions that are scheduled most weeks. These instructional sessions look at the farm systems by creating assessments of the landscape, farm goals, and existing challenges through the framework of permaculture. Learn and practice reviewing, mapping and analyzing the landscape using permaculture principles to continue the ongoing design of our small farm.

No special tools or materials are required. No previous experience is necessary, although graduates of reputable permaculture courses will find an ideal opportunity to practice permaculture design skills and to build their design portfolio. Only an interest in sustainable, regenerative design is necessary to benefit from the practicum.

You are expected to devote 20 hours per week to the apprenticeship, that includes mastering your specialty, learning along with others apprentices’ projects, design and assessment practice and instruction, and helping out with daily chores. Past apprentices have immersed themselves into full-time farm life, gaining valuable skills and insights. Others have maintained part-time jobs off the farm. Some—as they network and gain practical experience—find opportunities for paid work later in the summer and fall. We seek persons who can begin in May and continuing through mid-September.

Our weekly farm meetings will set priorities alongside chore and project schedules. The meetings are also an opportunity to ensure that food, infrastructure, education and other apprenticeship needs are being met.

Other expectations and obligations include:

the ability to study and work alone and with others on projects and chores

a commitment to learning the big picture and details of your specialty

careful record-keeping

attendance at weekly farm meeting

attendance at design practicum instruction

learning the specific mapping and assessment skills related to the farm’s ongoing design

assisting occassional visitors to the farm, including during the Finger Lakes Permaculture Tour weekend in August.

Farm owners Michael Burns and Kelly Dietz offer:

Food: a CSA share of vegetables, produce and meats grown on the farm, plus all other basic food staples and needs

Kitchen and living space: a kitchen located in the campground yurt with cooking stove, cold water sink, off-grid electric, comfortable seating area, and library

An ideal candidate will have great communication skills, maturity, integrity, initiative, flexibility and decent physical strength. You should expect to be outside in all weather conditions including rain, cold and summer heat of 90-100 degrees.

Previous farming experience is valued but not required. A valid driver’s license helps. A car is not required but is recommended, as it will allow you greater access to the beautiful environment and vibrant cultural life found in the Finger Lakes and in nearby Ithaca and Watkins Glen.

College Credit

We can work with administrators and professors to document and supervise your work to earn credit from your institution. Students have earned credit while studying with us through Ithaca College, Cornell University, Paul Smith College, and Empire State College. Co-owners Michael Burns and Kelly Dietz are both professional educators with decades of experience teaching in high schools, universities and in community education.

This apprenticeship assumes your arrival in May and a committment into September. Shorter stays are possible at times. Please apply for a shorter program or for short-term volunteer visits through WWOOF-USA. Otherwise, please provide the information requested below and email it to <Michael@CayutaSunFarm.com>. We will consider applicants until we have found qualified candidates.

Name:

Birthdate:

Phone:

Email:

Postal address:

Please attach your resume, if you have one.

Please provide at least two references, preferably previous employers or teachers, who can vouch for the quality of your learning and communication skills, reliability, maturity and integrity. Include their names, where you worked for them and for how long, and a brief description of your responsibilities. Please list their phone numbers (and an email address if available).

Are you available in mid-May through mid-September?

Why are you interested in this position?

What previous experiences are you bringing to this position?

What practical skills do you hope to acquire?

What are your personal goals related to agriculture?

Do you have experience living on a farm?

We raise animals for meat on the farm. What is your perspective on the role animals play on a small farm?

You will have to set up a campsite for sleeping. Do you have camping experience and/or a tent?

Do you have any allergies, food restrictions, or physical limitations that might affect your ability to live in a rural setting and do farm work?

We would like to support this celebration of our permaculture community by opening up our woods to campers visiting from out of town. A limited number of rustic camping sites will be available Friday, Saturday and Sunday night. A simple low-pressure water supply, hot shower, and composting toilets will be available. You will need to supply your own tent. Coffee and tea will be available in the morning.

The nightly fee will be $20 per person or $50 per carload of visitors. Finger Lakes Permaculture Institute alumni and those willing to volunteer at least four hours during weekend’s events may stay for free. All campers are encouraged to register using the form at the bottom of this post as soon as possible to ensure a campsite.

Enjoy a homegrown lunch.

Cayuta Sun Farm is proud of our pastured poultry and pork and would like you to taste why. Upon arriving for the Saturday tour, make an order for our pork sausage sandwich. Enjoy your freshly grilled Italian style sausage at a picnic table in the cool shade of our shiitake mushroom yard. We begin grilling at 11 a.m. Cold non-alcoholic drinks will also be sold.

Meet the farmer.

A guided tour will be conducted in a continuous loop from 9 a.m. to noon and from 1 to 3:30 p.m. Join in at anytime. Led by Michael Burns, the presentation will highlight the development of a permaculture-inspired farmstead that has in recent years become a small woodland farm. Highlights include the octagonal classroom built of black locust logs with a reciprocal rafter roof, shiitake mushroom production, chickens and pigs raised on grass and under the canopy of trees, plus off-grid energy systems.

A decade’s worth of permaculture students, teachers, and practitioners have passed through Cayuta Sun Farm working, learning, and connecting with others. We feel lucky to be part of it all, are proud of our local permaculture scene, and look forward to sharing the promise of permaculture and ecological design with all our guests this August 26th through the 28th.

Register to camp:

Name(required)

Email(required)

I need a campsite...(required) Thursday night

Friday night

Saturday night

Sunday night

I would like free camping because 1) I have filled out the registration form at FingerLakesPermaculture.org and 2)... I am an Alumni of FLPCI's PDC course.